CHAPTER 22
1. “Brothers and fathers, listen to a word of my defense before you.”
Fathers: elders in Israel, whom he respected whether he agreed with their views or not because they held authority. He began his defense the same way Stefanos had done so. (7:1)
2. And when they heard that he was speaking Hebrew to them, they quieted down still further, and he said to them,
3. “A Jewish man I am, born in Tarsos, which is in Kilikia, but I grew up in this city at the feet of Gamli’el. And I was trained in all the instruction of our ancestors, and I became zealous for Elohim just like every one of you.
He identifies himself both with his accusers, who are Jews from Asiya (21:27), saying he is one too, and with the majority of the crowd, who are from “this city”, Yerushalayim. (Stern) All the instruction: Greek, to the fullest extent, in every detail, in the strictest manner, or with the exactest care. In other words, he knew every detail of every custom that was incumbent on Yehudah according to the way its authorities had determined was the best way to walk out the Torah. Gamli’el the Elder was “the most distinguished rabbi and scholar of his time”, the grandson of Hillel and and the leader of his school of disciples. He was the first to be called “Rabban” rather than the more common “rabbi”. (Stern) The Mishna tells us that when he died, “the glory of the Torah came to an end; and purity and separation came to an end.” (Sotah 9:15) He laid the background for the triumph of liberal Pharisaism under R. Yochanan ben Zakkai after the fall of the Temple. Paulus makes a strong case for being strictly Torah-observant due to being from this school.
4. “And I persecuted this Way to the death, when I was tying up men and women and handing them over to the prison-house,
5. “with the high priest and all the elders who bore witness, from whom I received letters to go to the brothers who were in Dameseq, that I might bring whomever might also be found there, chained, to Yerushalayim so they could receive punishment.
Despite his denials, Sha’ul was indeed a great orator. Having lived in both Greek and Jewish contexts, he truly does know how to be “all things to all men”—that is, to communicate in either style. There is much wisdom in his approach. First, he ingratiates himself to his audience, and speaks their language, not Greek, which would only anger them more. He identifies himself with their cause (v. 3). He appeals to the authorities who sent him on the mission during which he was confronted by Yeshua, showing that he was no renegade. He is able to develop rapport with those who are trying to kill him, easing gradually into the point he knows they will not like. Elders: The same term is used of the leaders of the Way (15:4), but here it refers to the Sanhedrin. (23:1) Thus there were two “sanhedrins” in Yerushalayim at this time. One was headed by a High Priest who had bought his position; the other was appointed by the new King of Israel, so obviously the latter was a threat to the former. Paulus honors them because they are put in a position by YHWH, just as the Roman occupiers were, so he operates within both of those frameworks, though he does not hesitate to, at times, pit the two against each other when it is to the advantage of the incoming kingdom. If he needed a ruling, he would, of course, go to the council headed up by Yaaqov, not the Sanhedrin. But these rulings would not apply to all Jews, only those who considered Yeshua their rabbi. An absolute Jewish halakhah does not exist; there are varying opinions on everything in the Talmud, so there was room for many viewpoints within the framework of pure Torah. The other Sanhedrin allowed the Way’s “Sanhedrin” to exist due to pressure from the people. Those in Yehudah today who recognize the return of Efrayim prefer that we have our own halakhah, because they need Efrayim to come home; they do not need clones of themselves, for they have enough “Jewish want-to-be’s”. But our authority does not come from the Mishnah or Talmud, but from Yeshua and His followers.
6. “And as I walked and was beginning to reach Dameseq in the middle of the day, suddenly from the skies a great light shone on me,
7. “and I fell on the ground and heard a voice that said to me, ‘Sha’ul, Sha’ul, why are you persecuting Me?’
8. “And I answered and said, ‘Who are You, Sir?”’ And He said to me, ‘I am Yeshua the Notzri Himself, whom you are persecuting.’
Persecuting: or pursuing; Yeshua literally “cut to the chase” and reversed the roles! Yeshua caught him first! He took away that aspect of his pursuit and made him face the rest of the facts. Sir: or, my Master.
9. “And the men who were with me saw the light, only they did not hear the voice of the one who was speaking to me.
Saw the light: the Greek version adds, “and were afraid”.
10. “So I said, ‘What should I do, Sir? And our Master said to me, ‘Get up, go into Dameseq, and there it will be told you about all that you are commanded to do.
11. “And right away I could not see on account of the brightness of that light, those who were with me grasped me by my hand and led me into Dameseq.
12. “And one man, Chananyah, righteous according to the Torah, as all the Yehudim there could bear witness in regard to him,
That he was completely Torah-observant was not mentioned in chapter 9, but Paulus knew this fact would be important to his audience.
13. “came to me and said to me, ‘Sha’ul, my brother, open your eyes!’ And in a moment my eyes were opened and I looked at him.
14. “And he said to me, ‘The Elohim of our ancestors has raised you up to know His wishes and to see the righteous One and to hear the voice from His mouth.
15. “‘And you will come to serve as a witness for Him to all sons of Adam about all that you have seen and heard.
To all sons of Adam: not literally to every person alive (for many have felt they had to make major compromises in order to try to allow everyone to hear the Gospel), but to all types of people, though his audience did not balk at this yet, because at that time in history they would only consider this term to apply to Jews, or at the very most to the rest of Israel, though most considered the other tribes to simply have become Gentiles, and thus in the same category as all other men. Some would apply it only to Torah-observant Jews.
16. “‘And now, why are you delaying? Get up! Be immersed and be purified from your sins by calling out His Name.’
Be immersed: or, immerse yourself, which is the normal Jewish practice, with only a witness to ensure that every part of the body and every hair goes under the water. He was being told to go back to the beginning and start over, at least on this point. Be purified from: Greek, wash away. Immersion is a vivid symbol by which we can mark a change in ritual status which should also correspond with an ascension to a higher level of spiritual experience and action. It certainly marked a turning point for Sha’ul.
17. “So I turned back and came here to Yerushalayim, and was praying in the Temple,
18. “and I saw Him saying to me in a vision, ‘Be alert and go out from Yerushalayim because there is none who will receive your testimony concerning Me.’
19. “So I said, ‘Shucks, my Master! They know that I turned them over to the prison-house and beat the believers in You in every synagogue!
20. “‘And when the blood of Stefanos, Your witness, was shed, I too stood with them and counted myself as belonging to the wishes of his murderers, as I watched over the garments of those who stoned him.’
He was trying to argue that he had exactly the credentials for what they needed to hear, and who but him could convince them better than one who had just been “on their team”? This has strong parallels with Moshe, who thought Israel would understand that he had been sent to deliver his people (7:25) when he still had forty more years of training ahead of him.
21. “Then He said to me, ‘Go, because I am sending you far away to preach to the nations!’”
22. And after they had listened to Paulus up to this word, they lifted their voice and screamed, “One such as this must be purged from the earth, because he has no right to live!”
This word: nations, (Heb., goyim, the same word for “Gentiles”, and had a strong pejorative sense). The very reason they had brought Paulus here was because he had supposedly brought Gentiles into the Temple. This was an understandable response from those in their shoes. Since there was no king, they were the supreme ruling body in Israel, yet had no true authority in Rome’s eyes (since they could not issue a death sentence without permission). Since the deaths of the first two Herods, the Sanhedrin’s influence had declined even further. The Jews were exiles in their own Land, since they were not free to fully keep the Torah. They had asked for this in a sense when the Hasmoneans asked for Roma’s help to defeat the Greeks, not realizing that Roma’s policy was that anyone they helped was automatically considered their vassal. The remains of the headquarters of the Roman occupiers has been found by archaeologists, with the Roman seal on every tile. The one place they could get away from the ever-present Romans was the inner courts of the Temple Mount, where they knew everyone was like-minded. Now even this seemed to be being violated, and the thought was insufferable. This ruling body was also influenced by the Zealots, who were freedom-fighters who used terrorist techniques, and all of these added up to the fact that the word goyim was a red flag. As if it was not enough that Gentiles held the priestly garments for ransom so the Jews would “behave”, now he was bringing them here too! This was the “last straw”. Earth: or, the land (i.e., of Israel in particular). Has no right: or, is not worthy or suitable.
23. And when they shouted and cast their garments from off of them, and raised fine dust to the sky.
Casting their garments off: the same way they had done at Sha’ul’s own feet when stoning Stefanos. The Greek term includes the sense of displaying disgust. The outer garments included marks of their status, and these were the wealthiest in society, so to toss these garments aside is not something they would do lightly. Throwing dust into the air is not a common Jewish custom; Stern argues they were probably throwing it at Paulus, not having any stones to throw within reach—or they may have hesitated to execute him in this way since they were in the presence of the Romans this time, as was not the case with Stefanos.
24. So the captain of a thousand ordered that they should meet inside the fortress, and ordered that they should interrogate him with lashes, in order to know what the reason was [that] they were shouting about him.
He assumed he would get the right answers if he put a little pressure on Paulus, for this was the Roman way. These soldiers would have to answer to Roma for any illegal assembly. But any of the Hebrew festivals were assemblies, so the Romans prevented riots by the Jews by holding over their heads the threat of canceling the right for the high priest to use his garments during a feast, which of course was required by the Torah.
25. But when they had stretched him out with straps, Paulus himself said to the captain of a hundred, who stood over him, “Is it permissible for you to lash a Roman man who has not been convicted by law?”
Roman: not by ethnicity but by legal citizenship.
26. And when the captain of a hundred heard, he approached the captain of a thousand and said to him, “What are you doing? Watch out! This man—he is a Roman!”
27. So the captain of a thousand approached him and said to him, “Tell me, it is true that you are a Roman?” And he told him, “Yes.”
28. So the captain of a thousand answered him, “With a lot of money I acquired my Roman naturalization.” Paulus told him, “But I was even born with it!”
This was some leverage with which YHWH had provided him long beforehand to keep him alive longer to teach more people and further strengthen his disciples.
29. So at once those who had been preparing to torture him scattered from him, and the captain of a thousand was afraid that it would become known that he was a Roman, and he had tied him up for no [reason].
If he had not been a Roman citizen, they would not have cared. Only Roman citizens had a right to due process. Most Roman soldiers were not citizens, many actually being conscripted prisoners of war. More soldiers died from such discipline by their own leaders since the Roman army ran such a tight ship. It killed more of its own soldiers than enemies. And they still held Paulus overnight, despite his citizenship.
30. And on the next day, he wanted to know properly what the accusation was that the Jews had brought in regard to him, so he released him and ordered that the head priests and all the assembly of their leaders come, and he took Paulus and had him go down and stand among them.
CHAPTER 23
1. And looking [directly] at their assembly, Paulus said, “Men—my brothers—with an altogether guiltless conscience I have conducted myself before Elohim until today.”
2. Then Chananyah the priest ordered those standing by him to strike Paulus on his mouth.
Priest: the Greek has “high priest”, and this fits the context well. He apparently believed Paulus was arrogant to make the claim to a guilt-free conscience, whether simply because he thought Paulus’ views were wrong, or because he knew how guilty his own conscience was for hypocritically holding a position that was not lawfully his, since he was not a direct descendant of Aharon. Paulus was not saying that everything he had done up to this point was right, but that at each point in his walk he had had the sincere motive of following and serving YHWH. The reason he had persecuted the followers of the Way was out of zeal for the Torah as he understood it then. He knew he had been guilty, but he had always thought he was doing what was right. Can you say the same? Most of us, too, once sat under phallic symbols (steeples) in churches on the day of the Sun and set a table to Fortune and Destiny (Yeshayahu 65:11) by celebrating Christmas. At that point in our walk, it was the only open path to get us to the higher point YHWH wanted us at. We were not doing something we knew was wrong, whereas after we knew the facts more clearly, we could not stay in that position. Chananyah was appointed by Herodos and was in office from approximately 47 to 59 C.E. By this time, he did not carry out most of the religious aspects of his position, except at Yom Kippur. That is why we see people like Z’kharyah drawing lots to burn incense (Luke 1:9)—a job the high priest was supposed to do. But since the Romans sold the position to the highest bidder, he was not the right person for the position, and therefore was more of a figurehead who was involved in the politics of keeping the Romans placated.
3. Paulus said to him, “Elohim is ready to strike you, [you] whitewashed wall! And you yourself are sitting to judge me in regard to the mouth of the Torah while you are transgressing the Torah while you yourself are transgressing the Torah by ordering me to be struck?”
Whitewashed wall: i.e., one who appears pure on the outside (even wearing white, as a priest normally did), but was not the same within. (Compare Mat. 23:25-27) Even whitewash, which may hide defects under its veneer, wears off eventually. Rabbi Eliezer, who was on the council of rabbis at Yavneh after the Temple was destroyed and who became a believer in Yeshua, told his students that if any of them were not the same on the inside as they were outwardly, they had to leave his academy. He was fired from his position and replaced by someone known for his mercy, and the school garnered a much larger following at that point. He went to YHWH asking if he had done wrong, and was given a dream about a caper bush, after which he knew he had done the right thing. Why? Because a caper plant that is somehow diseased puts out a second crop of fruit exactly four months after the first harvest, and it looks the same outwardly, but when opened, the capers are black and inedible inside. Thus, though the harvest seemed numerically greater, it added nothing of any value to the first crop, which had actually been what it appeared to be. Transgressing the Torah: first, by striking him before a trial had proven him guilty, and second, by striking him while he stood rather than having him lie down first. (Deut. 25:1-2)
4. Then those standing there said to him, “Who are you to curse Elohim’s priest?!”
Curse: or speak evil of.
5. Shaul said, "Brothers, I was not aware that he was the [high] priest—because, look, it is written, 'You must not curse a ruler of your people'." [Exodus 22:28]
Out of protest for a sacrilege committed by the Romans at an earlier point, the Sanhedrin had moved out of its chamber on the Temple Mount, which was the only place they could render a death sentence. Having been summoned by the Romans (22:30), we know they were not now in the Temple complex, so the high priest could not have been wearing the garments that distinguished him from the other priests. Sha’ul, having been back from abroad for some time, should have known who the high priest was, having participated in at least one pilgrim festival since he returned. However, he might have only been able to see him from a distance, and his writings suggest that Paulus had poor eyesight. (Gal. 4:15; 6:11) He apparently was standing far enough away to be out of reach of the high priest himself striking him, and it could be that he could not tell who was speaking, though at least we knew he could see that he was seated while others stood (vv. 2-3), and at least he knew that the one speaking was therefore the one in the position to make the ruling. But there seems to be a tone of sarcasm in his saying “I was not aware…”, whether due to the high priest’s not behaving like one or because he called into question the validity of his authority. Still, despite his unworthiness of the position, Paulus held the position itself in high respect since YHWH had instituted it and it at least represented order rather than anarchy. But quoting this verse should also have reminded the high priest of its context, which was all about treating one’s neighbor as oneself, and would show him how shamefully he had treated Paulus.
6. And when Paulus discerned that some of the people were Tz’doqim and some were P’rushim, he shouted out within the assembly, “Men, my brothers, I am a P’rush, the son of P’rushim, and in regard to the hope for the rising from the dead, I am being judged!”
Note that, despite Yeshua’s warnings about the leaven of the P’rushim and their hypocrisy, it was not incompatible to be both a follower of Yeshua and a P’rush.(Compare 15:5.) It has even been argued by some that Yeshua was a P’rush as well. While he would not be defined by a classification stucture that came long after the Torah was given, many of His teachings were quite similar; it was an intrafamilial argument He had with them, for while they believed mostly the same things about the Torah, it was the corrupt heart attitudes of some of the P’rushim that came out in their laying heavy burdens on people and not lifting a finger to help them, donating money that should have been used to care for their aging parents to the Temple in order to look more pious, trying to have their religious deeds noticed by as many as possible, etc. They were making Torah subservient to self, rather than vice versa, and this was what Yeshua found so heinous. It was not the fact that they tithed mint, dill, and cumin; He commended such attention to detail, but chided them for making this more important than loving their neighbors.
7. And when they heard that, the P’rushim and the Tz’doqim began competing with one another,
He diverted their attention off himself, taking advantage of a fact that he knew would set them off. But while his ruse was a smart move, it was not very honorable, as no one had said anything about the resurrection up to this point; the incident that sparked this trial was his supposedly having taken a Gentile into the Temple. So now he was definitely acting out of disrespect for his audience. “Divide and conquer” does not fit with the submission to authority within Israel that the Torah requires. He is not taking them seriously since they are acting outside the Torah. He used to try to please even the Ta’doqim, with whom he did not agree; now, he shows that he no longer cares what they think.
8. since the Tz’doqim say that there is no resurrection, no angels, and no spirit, while the P’rushim profess [belief] in them all.
Tz’doqim: more specifically, the Boethusians, since other Tz’doqim did believe in the resurrection, as their successors, the Karaites, do today as well.(Gordon) No spirit: that is, one such as a demon. The Boethusians believed the soul disappeared when the body died, and only Elohim’s Spirit remained. Yeshua answered this tenet of theirs in Mat. 22:23-32. Thus, unlike the P’rushim, it would be difficult for the Tz’doqim to remain thus after an experience of the risen Messiah. (Stern)
9. And there came to be a great mayhem, and men from among the scribes stood on the side of the P’rushim and argued with them and said, “We do not find anything evil in this man, and if a spirit or angel has spoken with him, what of it?”
What of it: Greek, “Let’s not fight against Elohim!” Unlike Gamli’el’s situation some twenty years earlier, they could not just say this fervor for Yeshua might blow over, for it had kept growing and growing. But now the squabble has become partisan, and the P’rushim act as if they had been defending Paulus all along!
10. And when there arose a great disturbance between them, the captain of a thousand was apprehensive lest Paulus be pulled apart by them, so he dispatched Romans to come in and they hurriedly snatched him from among them and brought him into the barracks.
Disturbance: Greek, insurrection.
11. And when night came on, our Master appeared to Paulus and told him, “Take courage, because as you bore witness concerning Me in Yerushalayim, you will yet indeed bear witness also in Roma.”
12. And as it was becoming morning, men from among the Jews assembled and banned themselves from eating or drinking until they should kill Paulus.
Men: probably not just men on the street, but people on the council (which has been the definition of “Jews” as used throughout this context), or at least those had political aspirations and expressed this by trying to please the high priest and elders, which could gain them honor and position in Israel as it stood then.
13. And those who cut this covenant by swearing an oath came to more than forty men.
14. And they approached the priests and elders and said, “We have truly placed a ban on ourselves not to taste anything until we have killed Paulus.
15. “So now you and the heads of the Sanhedrin ask the captain of a thousand to let him come to you, as if you only wanted to inquire to confirm what he is doing, and we are prepared to murder him before he reaches you.”
Murder: They could not legally execute him, so now they turned to a more direct means of getting him out of the way. These men were not telling the leaders what to do, but came up with a plan that they knew would please them, and were saying, “Here’s what you do: set him up for us and we’ll do the dirty work for you.”
16. But the son of Paulus’ sister heard of this plot, and came to the barracks and made it known to Paulus.
How could he have heard of it unless his father was among the conspirators or on the council? Apparently as had been the case with Paulus, other members of his family still had strong political connections, and Paulus must have now been an embarrassment to them. But this boy was either also a follower of Yeshua or simply loved his uncle very much.
17. So Paulus sent and called one of the centurions and told him, “Conduct this lad to the captain of a thousand, because he has something to tell him.”
18. So the centurion took the lad and brought him to the captain of a thousand, and said, “The prisoner Paulus called me and asked me to bring this lad to you, because he has something to tell you.”
19. The captain of a thousand grasped the hand of the lad, and pulled him aside and asked him, “What do you have to tell me?”
20. So the lad told him, “The Jews have been advised to ask from you that Paulus be brought down to the assembly tomorrow as if they only desired to know yet another matter from him.
21. “You therefore must not listen to them, because look! More than forty men of them are waiting in ambush for him, and they have banned themselves from eating or drinking until they have killed him, and look! They are preparing and waiting for your assurance.”
Listen to them: Greek, let them persuade you. How ironic that different factions of Jews had to beg protection against one another from pagans! Assurance: or promise.
22. So the captain of a thousand sent the lad away and ordered him: “Don’t let [any] man know that you have made this known to me.”
23. Then he called for two centurions and told them, “Go, prepare two hundred Roman [soldier]s who can walk to Caesarea and seventy horsemen and two hundred spear-hurlers who can leave at the third hour of the night.
Third hour of the night: that is, 9:00 p.m. Each Roman soldier carried a short sword, a dagger, and a 7-foot-long spear. The spear-hurlers had 10-foot spears and a dagger. Each horseman carried a long sword and a dagger, and all 470 of these would have carried shields as well. All this to protect one man from 40! Paulus was treated with great respect because he had almost been beaten unlawfully, and these captains bent over backwards to make amends!
24. “Also, prepare for Paulus an animal to ride, and deliver him to Felix the commissioner!”
Deliver: the Hebrew term includes smoothing the way, giving safe passage, and hurrying him along. Felix was the husband of Herod Agrippas’ daughter and had been procurator of Shomron from 48 to 52 C.E., while Cumanus ruled Judea. When Cumanus was removed from office for failing to suppress riots between Jews and Gentiles in Caesarea, Felix was put in Caesarea as his replacement. Tacitus wrote of him, “With all cruelty and lust he exercised the power of a king with the spirit of a slave.”
25. And he wrote and gave them a letter that had this in it:
26. “Claudios Lüsios to Felix the exalted commissioner—greetings of peace!
27. “The Jews seized this man with the intention of killing him, and I stood up with the Romans and rescued him when I knew that he was a Roman [citizen].
28. “And immediately I asked to know the reason for which they were accusing him; I took him down to the assembly.
29. “And I found that they were accusing him as touching upon questions of their Torah, and there was no worthwhile excuse for imprisonment or death upon him.
30. “And when the ambush plot of the Jews in regard to him was made known to me, I immediately sent him to you, and I ordered that his accusers to come before you with him. Be healthy!”
After his trial, Sha’ul may have been given this letter, as Lukes was able to quote its exact wording. One would think the conspirators against him would have starved to death after YHWH provided this way of escape. But we know that the rabbis later ruled that oaths made in error or of exaggeration could be nullified (Mishnah N’darim 3:1), and though the rabbis as such were not in authority until after the Temple was destroyed, corrupt men were already making rulings of convenience that flew in the face of the Torah, which says our vows must be performed. (Num. 30:2) The rabbis may have used such things as a precedent for their later rulings. Be healthy: Greek, be strong—a typical greeting, as we would write “farewell” or “sincerely”.
31. Then, as they were commanded, the Romans took Paulus by night and brought him to the city of Antipatris.
Antipatris, named for Herod the Great’s father Antipater, was 42 miles from Yerushalayim and 26 from Caesarea. Known today as Tel Afeq, it is situated in a very fertile region near the coast, northeast of Tel Aviv.
32. And the next day they released the cavalry, the footsoldiers, and their comrades to go back to the barracks.
33. And they brought him to Caesarea and gave the letter to the commissioner and had Paulus stand before him.
34. And when he had read the letter, he asked him what city he was from. And when he heard he was from Kilikia,
35. he told him, “I will hear you[r case] when your accusers come.” And he ordered that he be guarded in Herodos’ fortress.
Fortress: or citadel. This was protective custody, yet he was not free to move about, and the conditions were similar to imprisonment and as we will see, lasted a long time, as his accusers probably deliberately delayed. The cell that he was thought to have been kept in has now been unearthed by archaeologists.
CHAPTER 24
1. And after five days, Chananyah the high priest came down with the elders and with Tartellos the orator, and they notified the military commissioner about Paulus.
High priest: Here the Aramaic text first directly identifies Chananyah as more than just a “priest”. Orator: It was clear to Paulus’ opponents that his skill at oratory was beyond their ability to match, so they hired someone who they expected to be up to his caliber to be their spokesman.
2. And when he was summoned, Tartellos began to plead in opposition to him, and said,
3. “For the most part we live in tranquility, thanks to you, and many improvements have been made for this people by your concern. And we all, in every place, are the recipients of your mercy, O exalted Felix!
We: It appears that Tartellos is identifying himself as a Jew. It was customary to begin a court presentation with a compliment to the one presiding; this prosecuting attorney, trained professioninally to speak in a Roman court, still overdoes the flattery to ingratiate his party with the commissioner and effect a smokescreen over what he knows is a very weak case.
4. “However, so as not to weary you with many words, I ask of you that you listen to our brief rebuttals.
5. “Because we have found this man [to be] one who corrupts and who awakens disturbances among all the Jews who are in all the world, since indeed he is [a] head of the sect of the Notzrim,
A head: Not necessarily “the” head. In fact, his opponents do not present him as having any connection to the large group in Yerushalayim headed by Yaaqov, who was one of the most respected men in Yerushalayim, according to Josephus. Since Hellenistic Jews are already looked down upon and he is placed in that category because he was most-often seen in a Greek-speaking context, he is seen as somewhat of an outsider. Though by this time he has been reined in much more tightly by the followers of Yeshua at Yerushalayim, when he causes trouble in other cities, people do not link him with that group in any obvious way. It is as if there are two streams to the followers of Yeshua already, and this one was indeed, if not “founded” by Paulus, at least the basis for modern Christianity in the form into which his teachings were misconstrued. (2 Kefa 3:16) Having allowed, even temporarily, a lower standard for believers coming back from a pagan context, opened the door for his version of the Glad News to eventually be seen as a separate religion. Yaaqov’s camp, on the other hand, was only seen as Jews who had a grasp of something that had taken place which had fulfilled many prophecies about which they had heard all their lives, and so formed much more of a seamless continuum with Torah keepers of previous generations. The hard-liners got more respect at the time, but the believers who did not value their connection to Israel took the less harsh man as their figurehead.
6. “and he wanted to profane our Temple. And when we had seized him, we were seeking to judge him by the mouth of our Torah.
Paulus’ opponents want Felix to see Paulus as in the same category of the Egyptian (21:38) whose uprising Felix himself had mercilessly crushed.
7. “However, Lüsios, captain of a thousand, came and, with great strength, snatched him [hurriedly] from our hands and sent him to you,
8. “and gave orders concerning his accusers that they should come to you. Now you are able—when you interrogate him—to hear from us about all these things we are claiming against him.”
9. And the Jews also made accusations against him, in saying that these things were truly the case.
10. Then the military commissioner signaled to Paulus to speak, so Paulus responded and said, “I know that for these many years you are the judge of this people, and therefore I am glad to make a defense in regard to myself.
11. “Because you are indeed able to discern that there are not more than twelve days since I went up to Yerushalayim to worship.
12. “And they did not find me speaking with anyone in the Temple—not even in the assembly of the congregation, nor in their synagogues, nor in the city!
13. “And they have nothing in their hands to prove in your presence what accusations they are bringing against me now.
14. “But this I do confess, that in this ‘sect’ of which they speak—in it I serve the Elohim of my ancestors in that I put my confidence in all the things written in the Torah and in the prophets;
15. “in that I have expectation in Elohim, as they themselves also expect, that in the time to come there will be a resurrection from the house of the dead—of [both] the righteous and the wicked.
They themselves: though at least one of the Tz’doqim, who did not believer in the resurrection, was present (the high priest himself). Yet he presents himself as just another Jew like them, not someone who is in a widely different category. He brings up this subject again, possibly since it worked so wwell to his advantage last time. But this time his opponents hold their peace, having, like himself, had time to reflect on what had gone wrong at that trial.
16. “Because of this I also struggle that I may always have a guiltless conscience before Elohim and before the sons of Adam.
Struggle: labor or suffer.
17. “And after many years I came to the sons of my people to give alms and to bring drawing-near [offering]s,
Alms: not necessarily just for the believers in Messiah, but for the Judean nation at large. Other references to this charitable contribution are found in Romans 15:25-31, 1 Korinthians 16:1-4, 2 Kor. 8:1-9, and Gal. 2:10.
18. “and these found me in the Temple when I was undergoing purification—not with a noisy crowd, and certainly not with [any] disturbance—except that riot which Jewish men who had come from Asiya caused,
Noisy crowd: or tumult, confusion.
19. “whom it would have been fitting to have stand with me before you so they could argue whatever they might have.
Fitting: at least according to Roman law, which gives one the right to face his accuser. In the Torah, two witnesses are required, but only in the case of adultery is the accused required to be present. But this trial is based entirely upon hearsay, and no actual witnesses can be brought forward, so even under Hebrew law, they have no case. With his mastery of Greek culture, he is thus able to outdo his opponent very quickly.
20. “Or these themselves could tell what perversion they have found in me when I stood before their assemblies,
21. “other than just this one thing that I called out when I stood among them—‘In regard to the resurrection of the dead I am being judged today before you’!”
Paulus is admitting his wrong in lying or bantering about the reason he had been on trial. He proves a gain to be a great lawyer by conceding the only point on which they could rightfully bring anything against him.
22. But Felix, as soon as he was fully acquainted with this Way, deferred them and said, “When the captain of a thousand has arrived, I will hear [the dispute] between you.”
“The Way” is a term only used for the followers of Yeshua in contexts in which Paulus figures prominently. Deferred: There is no evidence that Lüsios ever did come, so Felix was just putting him off indefinitely.
23. And he placed an order upon a centurion that he should guard Paulus in comfort, and that none of his acquaintances should be restrained from ministering to him.
24. Then after a few days Felix and his wife Drusilah (who was a Jewess) sent and summoned Paulus, and listened to [testimony] from him concerning the faith of the Messiah.
Drusilah (meaning “watered by the dew”) was Felix’s third wife in succession. She herself had a very colorful history. Being only 19 years old at this time (born in 38 C.E.), Felix was already her second husband, having persuaded her using the skills of a magician named Atomos (whom Josephus actually identifies with the Shim’on of chapter 8), to desert Azizus of Emesa, the petty king of Syrian to whom she had been given, and marry him instead. Her life also ended in a spectacular manner at age 41, when she and her son were killed at Pompeii when Mt. Vesuvius erupted (79 C.E.). Faith: or, faithfulness.
25. When he had spoken with him concerning righteousness and holiness and about the judgment that is ready to come, Felix was filled with fear, and said, “[For] now, go, and when you have leisure, I will send and call for you.”--
Holiness: The Greek text has “self-control”. Having stolen another man’s wife, it is no wonder that Felix was terrified at the mention of coming judgment. But apparently he was not frightened enough to want to hear about the solution. (Stern)
26. because he thought he would he would be given a bribe by Paulus. For that purpose he also kept sending to bring him and talk to him.
His interest may have been piqued by Paulus’ mention of the alms he had brought (v. 17). When he was seen in Yerushalayim, he was carrying a substantial sum of money. He may have thought the Gentiles who had contributed might be concerned enough about their teacher to buy his freedom. He is aware that Paulus’ opponents have no case, but possibly the fact that Paulus was such a great orator made it obvious to him that he had come from somewhat of a well-to-do family who could afford to give him such an education.
27. And when two years had been completed for him there, another commissioner came in his place, who was called Porkios Festos, and to do a favor for the Jews, Felix left Paulus a prisoner.
Being disappointed in regard to his expectation, Felix changed which side of the argument he leaned toward! He was recalled by Nero in 59 C.E. (which shows us that the chronology of these events falls only 11 years prior to the destruction of the Temple). He was saved from proceedings initiated by the Jews only by the influence of his brother, the freedman Pallas, who had been a favorite of the earlier Emperor Claudius. Porkios Festus’ name means just what it sounds like: festival of swine! Pork was indeed a favorite even of the highest classes in Roma, and his family had attained to senatorial rank centuries before this. Nothing else is known about him personally from the historical record except that he died in office just over two years later in 62 C.E.., and was succeeded in his office by Albinus. Yet why is Paulus, who was allowed any visitor he wished, still in custody two years later? If he had been told he was to go to Roma, why was he not pressing harder to get back into a position to be able to travel? Why didn’t any of the influential followers of Yeshua in Yerushalayim pay his bail? It could be that even they could not affiord to, being affected by the famine for which Paulus had brought the alms. But one cannot escape the impression that the Delegated Envoys had never fully embraced him as their own, and may to some degree have had the attitude of, “He made his own bed; let him lie in it.” After all, he had appealed to his Roman citizenship—something they did not place a particularly high value upon—and they may have felt that he was now Roma’s problem, not theirs. The fact that he acknowledged their authority with some hesitancy and that every time he showed up in Yerushalayim, he made waves that caused trouble for them. The fact that Paulus encountered many in his travels who already knew about Yeshua shows that those based in Yerushalayim had already sent out some envoys of their own, and it is not hard to imagine them being somewhat defensive about what they considered their “turf”. He based his authority on visions that no one else saw and had to trust his word about, but as genuine as they may have been, that cannot compare to the authority that came from having walked with Yeshua himself for more than three years, with many witnesses. He was driven by a fervor to get the message out, being convinced as they were that Yeshua’s return as king was imminent, but he was less hesitant to make compromises in order to get the job done. Responding more to guilt over what he had initially done to Yeshua’s followers than to his training in Torah, he overcorrected in order to make it easier for more people to re-enter the ranks of Israel. But this created many problems from which we still suffer today, for the conflicts between the two camps have never yet been fully resolved in a way satisfactory under Torah. His work was far from being worthless (and was recognized as such by the Envoys), but the manner in which he carried it out, and the fact that many of his writings which were intended for a specific context have been universalized for every situation in every age, have had the effect (unintended though it was) of loosening the Torah. His carelessness in a few cases left the door wide open for the spirit of lawlessness to get the upper hand, and it is now our task to undo much of the effect of his writings (in the form in which they have come down to us). This may be why we see no overt effort on the part of the leadership to expedite Paulus’ release.
CHAPTER 25
1. When Festus had come to Caesarea, after three days he went up to Yerushalayim.
2. And the chief priests and the heads of the Jews informed him about Paulus,
3. and they pleaded with him and begged him for this kindness: that he send and have him brought to Yerushalayim--while they arranged an ambush on the way for the purpose of murdering him.
Unless they actually let him in on the plot (thinking they would solve his dilemma as well, since he was stumped as to how to solve Paulus’ case any other way), these men’s frustration over Paulus and how he has brought them such dishonor must have been so intense that they were willing to risk having to fight 470 soldiers to attack him for there is no reason to believe he would not have given Paulus the same safe conduct back to Yerushalayim as he had had when coming to the coast from there. The fact that they would bri/ng up his case after two years when bothering the governor could get them all killed, was only explainable by pride. Apparently among the Hellenistic Jews in Yerushalayim (who may have preferred his more lenient stance on some issues than that of the Apostles), his imprisonment had made him enough of a hero that his influence was still felt strongly there, much to the consternation of these Jews. But he had also visited more than Jews in his travels, and, like today, many of the “Gentiles” who now knew they were actually of the “lost” tribes of Israel would be desirous of visiting the Land with whom they now knew they still had a connection, and would want to go back and “get in touch with their roots”, visit the still-standing Temple, etc. This in itself would irritate the stricter Jews to no end, considering how strongly they reacted to even the rumor that Paulus had brought a Gentile into the Temple precincts. They themselves probably would not have been the ones waiting in ambush, but would have hired “hit men”, possibly from among the Zealots.
4. But Festus sent back a reply: “Paulus will be kept at Caesarea, and I am in a hurry to travel,
5. “so those who are among you who have the means can go down with us and argue about every perversion there is in the man.”
He gave no reasons for Paulus being kept there, but he may have suspected that it was not safe for Paulus to go back to where his accusers had previously been waiting to kill him. He includes a tone of sarcasm or disgust here as well, and will not make it any easier for them, requiring them to pay their own way if they really thought it important enough to make this trip.
6. So after he had been there eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered that Paulus be brought.
Eight or ten days: Greek, more than ten days; variant reading as per manuscripts used in compiling the New American Standard version: “not more than eight or ten days”. This may reflect the original document from which both the Greek and Aramaic versions may have been a second-generation copy.
7. And when he had come, the Jews who had come down from Yerushalayim surrounded him and brought upon him numerous and severe accusations that they could not prove,
8. while Paulus replied, “I have not been perverse at all, either toward the Torah of the Jews or toward the Temple or toward Caesar.”
9. But Festus, since he wanted to do a favor for the Jews, said to Paulus, “Do you want to go to Yerushalayim and be judged before me there concerning these [accusations]?”
A favor: one that would make him politically popular with them, since he had just come into office. Even the Caesar’s position was precarious at this point in history, as he had to answer to the Senate. How much more one who would bear the blame if there was an uprising among the Judeans? Of course this would oblige them to do him a favor in return at some point. Yet Festus is puzzled at how to appease both sides, since Paulus is a Roman citizen, he knows he is innocent, and Paulus’ “Jewish-Roman” family still has a lot of clout.
10. Paulus answered and said, “At the judgment seat of Caesar I am standing; it is proper for me to be judged here. I have not sinned against the Jews at all, as you yourself also know well.
11. “And if I have done an injustice or anything worthy of death, I am not hesitant to die. But if there is nothing against me from these matters about which I have been accused, a man would not give me to them undeservedly. I call upon the Caesar!”
Call upon: Greek, appeal to. I am not hesitant to die: This is itself is a lesson in honor that most modern people have yet to comprehend.
12. Then Festus conferred with his counselors, and said, “To the Caesar you have appealed; to the Caesar you will go!”
Though he knew he was to go to Roma because of the vision Yeshua had given him, Paulus does not appear to be asking to see the emperor himself, since for an ordinary citizen of Roma—and one living in another land—to demand to see the emperor would be seen as audaciously arrogant and absurd. Rather, since this is a court that operates by the laws Caesar has effected, and he knows these laws (possibly better than his judge does), and therefore is well aware that according to that systen of jurisprudence, his accusers have no case, so this is what he is actually appealing to. He is therefore asking to be judged according to that system, and in effect is saying, “Why can’t you just gieve a ruling right now?” This was, after all, Caesar’s court (v. 10). But being an one-upman, he caught Paulus in his own words, finding a loophole by which he could get the responsibility for this sticky case out of his hands. He takes Paulus’ words literally, and says he will send him to the actual man Caesar. The Greek text identifies this Caesar as Sebastos—“the venerable”, rather than by his title.
13. As the days passed, Agrippas the king and Berniqe came down to Caesarea to inquire into Festus’ welfare.
Agrippas (II): born 27 C.E. as the second and eldest surviving son of Herod Agrippas I (whose death is recounted in chapter 12), he was at first considered too young to succeed his father to the throne (at 16), but was later made king over the area north of Judea, reigning from Caesarea Filippi, whose name he changed to Neronias as a compliment to Nero for increasing his territory in 56 C.E. At this point he was about 32 years of age. From 48 to 66 he was the one who named the Jewish high priest, and did his best to prevent the war against Roma in 66, but though he failed, he remained loyal to Roma, and his territory was increased even further as a reward. He died childless around 100 C.E. Berniqe: Eldest daughter of Agrippas I (born A.D. 28), and sister of Drusilah, Festus’ wife. At age 13 she married her uncle Herod of Chalcis. Upon his death in 48 C.E., she went to live with her brother (this Agrippas II). Juvenal alleged that she had an incestuous relationship with him. She later married Polemon, king of Kilikia, then deserted him, and returned to her brother prior to the events of this chapter. After this time she became the mistress of Titus before he became emperor. Josephus (Wars of the Jews 2:15:1) recounts how, in 66 C.E., during the Jewish revolt, when she saw how badly the procurator Florus was treating the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, she begged him to stop the slaughter. She even made a 30-day Nazirite vow to Elohim and stood barefoot before Florus’ tribunal to beg him to spare the Jews, but he would not listen.
14. And when they had been with him for some days, Festus recounted Paulus’ legal case to the king by saying, “A certain man was left prisoner by the hands of Felix,
As Orthodox Jews today who come to believe in Yeshua yet do not diminish their Torah-observance in any way are hissed at by other Jews even though thye have not forsaken any of the nation’s customs, Paulus was seen as a traitor since he was now doing the exact opposite of what they had sent him to Dameseq to do. His very existence constantly reminds them that they are wrong, taking the easier, lower road, which is why they do not want to let him go on living.
15. “and when I came to Yerushalayim, the heads of the priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him, and requesting that I carry out his judgment for them.
16. “And I told them that the Romans do not have a custom of handing a man over to be killed until his judge comes and they bring evidence in his presence and he gives him the occasion to reply in regard to that which he is accused of.
17. “And when I came here, though I hadn’t even settled in, the next day on the judgment seat I ordered that the man be brought to me.
Judgment seat: the only place he could make authoritative rulings.
18. “And his accusers stood with him, and they were not able to prove any guilt in regard to him, which was just what I had suspected.
19. “But they had where these accusations against him concerning their religion and concerning one Yeshua who died, which Paulus claimed was alive.
20. “And as soon as I was not standing on the investigation of these things, I said to Paulus, ‘Do you want to go to Yerushalayim and be judged there concerning these [accusations]?’
21. “But he requested that he be kept for judgment by Caesar. So I ordered that he be guarded until I could send him to Caesar.”
22. And Agrippas said, “I was wishing to hear this man [myself].” So Festus said, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
23. So the next day Agrippas and Berniqe came in great splendor and entered the judgment hall with captains of a thousand and the heads of the city. When Festus gave the order, Paulus came.
Splendor: or ornamentation, finery, pomp. This occasion gave them another excuse to show off.
24. And Festus said, “King Agrippas and all you people who are found with us: Concerning this man whom you see, all the Jewish people have complained to my face in Yerushalayim and here, when they shouted that it was no longer suitable for this one to live.
25. “But I discerned that he had not done anything worthy of death, so as soon as he asked to be kept for judgment by Caesar, I ordered that he be sent.
26. “And I have no idea what to write about him to Caesar. Therefore I wanted to have him come before you—and especially in front of you, O King Agrippas, so that after his case is examined, I might find what to write,
27. “because this is not proper, [that] at the hour that we send a man—a prisoner—we don’t document what his offense is.”
CHAPTER 26
1. Agrippas said to Paulus, “It is permitted you to speak on your own behalf.” Then Paulus held out his hand, answered, and said,
Answered: Aramaic, brought forth his breath, or defended his spirit. Held out his hand: Greek orators used this gesture to symbolize, “What I am about to say is what I solemnly believe.” This has carried over into our modern courts when one raises his hand and swears to tell the truth.
2. “About anything of which [some] Judeans are accusing me, O King Agrippas, I consider myself blessed because I have been brought back before you today,
Judeans: or simply, Jews, but neither the Aramaic nor Greek uses an article here, indicating that he is not speaking of everyone in that category, but only particular ones. The Aramaic adds, to defend my spirit.
3. “particularly because I know that you are well-versed in all the questions and customs of the Jews. Therefore I beg of you that you listen to me with a patient spirit.
Questions: or, problems. Patient: literally, long. In typical fashion, he compliments his judge, but does not use excessive flattery as Tartellos had done in chapter 24.
4. “Look, they know my manner of walking since my childhood that I had among my people in Yerushalayim since the beginning. After all, they are Jews—if they wanted to bring witness,
5. “because from the time they became acquainted with me, they have known that in the sect of the P’rushim I lived as a renowned, distinguished expert.
6. “And now in regard to the hope of the promise that our ancestors had from Elohim I am standing and undergoing litigation--
Our ancestors: Paulus considers Agrippas a fellow Jew, and thus does not need to give as much background as he would to Festus. (Stern)
7. “in regard to this expectation to which our twelve tribes are hoping, with diligent prayers day and night, to attain, while in regard to it (in regard to this hope) I am accused, O King Agrippas, at the hands of the Jews!
For the first time he overtly refers to the twelve tribes as sharers in the promise along with the Jews, though he has been targeting them directly as recipients of what was promised as he proclaimed that it was now available to them. He clearly sees his commission not to the Gentiles at large, but, as Yeshua specified to His students, the lost sheep of the House of Israel (the northern ten tribes), who are scattered among all the nations. What these men from the tribe of Yehudah are rejecting because it irritates them, he says, is precisely what the rest of the tribes have been aching and longing to receive, and would give anything for! In Paulus’ view, the restoration of temporarily-blinded Israel is a form of resurrection from the dead. (Rom. 11:7-15; compare Y’hezq’el 37:1-14.)
8. “How do they judge it not worthy to be believed that Elohim raises the dead?
He still maintains that the issue over which he is being tried is the resurrection, though the accusers have never said anything directly about this. Yet Paulus knows the reason they gave—that he had allegedly brought a Gentile into the Temple—was only an excuse with which to entrap him; the bottom line—what they really have a problem with—is the resurrection of Yeshua. He knows the inner workings of their minds, because he himself had been a P’rush and believed in a resurrection, yet had judged it in the case of Yeshua to have been incredible, and considered it a heresy to oppose (F.F. Bruce); so it had proven to be just a theoretical doctrine after all—something for a distant time about which no one could offer proof either for or against (compare Yochanan 11:), for when the rubber met the road—when the issue was brought into the immediate present by a concrete example of a resurrection as the firstfruits—they showed that they really did not believe it—or did not want to; if there was a resurrected king, they would no longer have any of the power or authority they had usurped, since they were neither of the proper house to be king nor of Levi to be priests.
9. “Look, I set my heart in their presence to carry out many actions in opposition to Yeshua the Notzri;
10. “that which I did was even in Yerushalayim, that many holy people I sent to prison, with the support that I received from the head priests. And when some of them were killed, I participated with those who condemned them.
11. “And in every place standing that belonged to the congregation, I tortured them as I compelled them to insult the name of Yeshua. And in the great [enthusiastic] rage that I was full of on account of them, I even went out to other cities to pursue them.
Standing place: or post, situation. Insult: revile or blaspheme. Pursue: or, persecute.
12. “And when I was going for such a purpose to Dameseq with the support and permission of the head priests,
Permission: or, authorization.
13. “at mid-day on the way I saw from the heavens, alas, O king! There shone over me and over all who were with me a light more marvelous than that of the sun.
14. “Then we all fell to the earth, and I heard a voice speaking to me in Hebrew: ‘Sha’ul, Sha’ul, why are you persecuting Me? It is a [severe] difficulty for you to kick against the cattle-prods!’
While they all were affected by this event, only Sha’ul received a clear and direct version of what was being communicated.
15. “And I said, ‘Who are you, my master?’ And our Master said to me, ‘I am Yeshua the Notzri, the very one you are persecuting!’
16. “Then he told me, ‘Get up onto your feet, because for this I appeared to you—to appoint you as a servant and a witness about what I have shown you and what I have yet to show you.
17. “‘And I will rescue you from the Jews and from the other nations to which I am sending you
18. “‘to open their eyes so that they might return out of darkness to light and [turn] from the domination of the adversary [back] to Elohim, and they will receive forgiveness of sins and a lot with the holy ones by means of placing confidence in Me.’
19. “Therefore, O King Agrippas, I did not rise up in obstinacy against the heavenly vision,
20. “but rather made proclamation beginning with those who were in Dameseq then to those who were in Yerushalayim and in all the towns of Judea, and I also proclaimed to the nations that they should turn back and face Elohim and do deeds befitting repentance.
The Gospel includes appropriate actions, not just belief! This is exactly what Yaaqov had emphasized to Sha’ul himself. Turn back…repentance: Both terms denote coming back to what one had previously left. If Agrippas is sharp, he should pick up on the fact that the “nations” in v. 17 were actually tribes of Israel. (The Greek term allows for either “nations”, “Gentiles”, or “tribes”.) The deeds that prove we believe Israel can be resurrected are those that are for the purpose of building the Kingdom.
21. “And on account of these words, the Jews seized me in the Temple and wanted to kill me.
22. “But Elohim has helped me up to this day, and look! I am standing and bearing witness to small as well as great, and I have said nothing outside of Moshe and the prophets, except the things that they said which were yet to come about--
Nothing outside of: or, nothing further out than. Gk., “except what Moshe and the prophets had said would take place”. This is the only authority that really counts, anyway, which lessens the value of the laws added by the P’rushim.
23. “that the Messiah would suffer and would be the beginning of the resurrection from the house of the dead and that he was preparing to proclaim light to the People and to the nations.”
24. And when Paulus had thus returned his defense, Festus shouted with a loud voice, “Paulus, you are going mad! The multiplicity of books is making you go mad!”
Multiplicity of books: Greek, much learning. Festus is Roman and does not understand the significance of the issues at stake as Agrippas does.
25. Paulus told him, “I am not going mad, O great Festus; rather, I am speaking words of truth and honesty,
Honesty: or straightness, equity, evenness. Sha’ul’s even-keeled response makes Festus look the mad one! (Stern)
26. “and in fact the King, Agrippas is well-acquainted with these things, and that is why I speak [so] frankly in his presence, because I do not imagine that one of these things is hidden from him, since indeed, they were not done in secret!
In secret: Greek, in a corner—i.e., out of the public spotlight. Rather, as Yeshua said, He spoke openly in the synagogue or Temple every day. (Yochanan 18:20)
27. “Do you believe the prophets, O King Agrippas? I know you believe!”
28. The King, Agrippas, told him, “How would you persuade me by so little to become Messianic?!”
By so little: or, in such a short amount of time. It is hard to tell what his attitude here, but for “Messianic”, the Greek and Aramaic both have “Christian”—a term which then carried only a pejorative or degrading overtone; i.e., you want me to be one of those fanatics!
29. So Paulus said, “I have been asking Elohim, by little or by much, that not only you but also all who hear me today, would become like me—except for these chains!”
30. Then the king rose up, along with the commissioner, Berniqe, and those who were sitting with them.
31. And when they had departed from there, they spoke to one another and said, “This man has done nothing worthy of death or chains!”
32. And Agrippas told Festus, “This man could have been rewarded if only he had not appealed to the Caesar.”
Rewarded: i.e., with his freedom; literally, hired or be given wages. He could be paid back for the two years he was wrongfully kept in custody. If only: Because Festus accepted Paulus’ appeal publicly before his accusers, it could not simply be annulled. (Stern)
CHAPTER 27
1. So Festus ordered in regard to him that he be sent to the Caesar in Italia, and he handed over Paulus, and other prisoners along with him, to a certain man, a centurion from the Sebasti unit whose name was Yulios.
He was named after the prototypical Caesar.
2. And when our departure was upon us, we went down in a ship that had come from the city of Adramintos and was renewing its voyage to Asiya, and Arestarkhos, a Maqedonian from the city of Thessaloniki, boarded the ship with us.
Arestarkhos traveled with Sha’ul to Efesos (19:29) and was one of the representatives who came all the way back with him to bring the contribution collected from the exiled congregations up to Yerushalayim (20:4). He was imprisoned with Sha’ul in Roma. (Col. 4:10; Filemon 24) We: Apparently Lukes also rejoined the entourage here. He may have again been sent along by the Council to ensure that Paulus stayed within their bounds, or he may have been along to minister to Paulus’ medical needs, being a physician. (Col. 4:14)
3. And the next day we arrived at Tzidon, and the centurion treated Paulus with compassion and permitted him to go down to his friends to rest.
Tzidon: a very ancient and important port further north along the coast in present-day Lebanon. Rest: Greek, receive care, refresh himself, or have his needs provided for.
4. We departed from there, and since the winds were contrary, we skirted Cyprus
Skirted: or went around; Greek, sailed close to the leeward of, that is, shielded from the wind by its mountains. This would involve sailing northward, then turning westward along its northern coast.
5. and crossed over by the sea of Kilikia and Pamfülia, and arrived at the city of Müra, which is in Lükia,
Lükia: where western Turkey widens southward, to the southwest of Pamfülia. Müra is two and a half miles inland from the mouth of the Andriakos River.
6. and there the centurion found a ship from Alexandria that was traveling to Italia, so he seated us in it.
Seated: in the Aramaic text. This may indicate that Lukes was one of those made to row the ship below deck. There are more such references in the chapter that hint at this being the case. The word “seated” is missing from the Greek text, so it may simply refer to them finding a place for them on the ship.
7. But because the progress [was] slow [and] with low visibility for many days, we barely arrived opposite the coast of Knidos, and since the wind did not permit us to straighten our course, we went around Kretim parallel to the city of Salmoney.
Knidos: a promontory between the islands of Kos and Rhodes at the extreme southwest of what is now Turkey; today it is called Cape Crio. The Hebrew text suggests that at that time it might have still been an island as well. Kretim: Greek, Kreytey (Crete), also called Candia; the largest and outermost of the Greek islands and home of the ancient Minoan civilization. Salmoney: at the eastern tip of Crete.
8. And after we rowed with difficulty to go around it, we reached a place that was called The Fair Havens, and it was close to the city whose name was Lasaya.
Fair Havens: or Beautiful Harbors, so named because the natural port was well-shielded from the weather since the coastline turned inland. From this chapter we can incidentally learn many details about seafaring methods during this period.
9. And we were there a long time, until the Jews’ day of fasting had passed, and it became dangerous to row on the sea, so Paulus advised them,
Jews’ day of fasting: probably Yom Kippur, though they would probably not have been travelilng during Sukkoth, which begins five days after Yom Kippur. The text does not say they left immediately after Yom Kippur, though. Yet Yom Kippur belongs to all Israel; it may have been one of the lesser, voluntary fasts initiated by the tribe of Yehudah, such as the fast of Esther or the fast of Gedalyah, though these do not seem to fit the season (v. 12), and the Greek text does not have the word “Jews” in it..
10. saying, “Men, I see that our voyage would be slow, with hardship and great loss, not only of our ship’s cargo, but even of our own lives.”
Hardship: distress, straits, tightness. Shipping became increasingly risky after the early autumn and sailors rarely embarked on voyages after mid-autumn because storms were very likely then. (Stern) This may have been a prophecy, or it may just have been the voice of experience, as he had previously been in three shipwrecks and was once adrift overnight on wreckage. (2 Kor. 11:25)
11. But the centurion listened to the sailing-captain and the owner of the ship more than to Paulus’ words.
12. So because the port was not suitable to be exposed to the winter in, many of those who were with us wanted to sail from there and, if we could make it to one harbor in Kretim that was called Phoenix, to winter [there], as it was facing to the south.
13. And when we caught a south wind and they supposed they could attain their goal, we rowed around Kretim.
The south wind would keep them close to the southern coast of the island, where they could maintain better control of the ship.
14. But after a short time a storm wind, which is called Typhonicus Euraclüdon shook us,
This is a violent east wind that causes large, surging waves. It blew them westward, away from the coast.
15. And the ship was swept away and could not stand against the wind, so we gave in to it.
The Greek text adds: and let her be carried away.
16. And when we passed near an island that was called Qodah, with difficulty we were able to regain [control] of the ship’s lifeboat.
Qodah: Greek, Klaudey.
17. And after we raised it, we tightened up the ship and repaired it. But since we were apprehensive that [we] might strike a sandbar of the sea, we lowered the sail and rowed like that.
Tightened up: Greek, undergirded. The lifeboat might have been dragged behind the ship rather than hanging from the side, making it more difficult to manage. It would have been needed for the sailors to pass ropes or ables around the ship to hold the fracturing hull together. This would be very difficult to do during a storm!
18. And when there arose over us a fierce tempest, the next day we threw our belongings into the sea.
Threw…: Greek, lightened the ship.
19. Then on the third day we cast away the equipment of the ship itself with our hands.
Equipment: Stern suggests that the Greek term includes even the navigation apparatus. In this case, this detailed account of the voyage gives us many analogies of Israel’s history. We threw overboard the very thing YHWH gave us to guide us back home—the Torah. (Even when some of it was recovered, the “experts” kept it out of the hands of most Israelites, and by the time it became more widely available, it was being interpreted very wrongly, so that we were still misguided.)
20. When the foul weather stretched on many days, and for just as long we did not see the sun, moon, or stars, every last hope for our lives ceased.
No form of navigation was left to them. It would be very unnerving for sailors to have no idea exactly where they were. By analogy, having dispensed with the Torah, exiled Israel needed signs in the heavens to guide us, and this led to even more bizarre interpretations of Scripture. Yet the wind (the same word as spirit in both Hebrew and Greek) mercifully blew us in the right general direction.
21. But when no man was eating anything, at that time Paulus got up among them and said, “Men, if you had just listened to me, we would not have sailed from Kretim, and would have spared ourselves from this loss and this anguish.
Sailed from: or, become separated so far from. Anguish: or distress.
22. “So now I advise you to not let [yourselves be] tortured, because not even one of your lives will be lost—[nothing] more than the ship alone,
Without torture: Greek, of cheerful spirits. He has said, “I told you so”, but mainly to show them that they should trust him now. Would they heed his advice this time?
23. “because tonight a messenger of my Elohim, whom I serve, appeared to me
He is most likely speaking to the crew in the daylight hours, so he would be saying “tonight” in the Hebrew sense, which had already passed by the time the light arrived. (Gen. 1:5 et al) A messenger of Elohim: who rescues those who fear YHWH. (Psalm 18:2; 34:7; 91:11)
24. “and told me, ‘Do not be afraid, Paulus; you are yet to stand before the Caesar. And indeed, Elohim has given you the gift of all who are sailing with you.’
He was assured that this was not his time to die, since he had at least one more assignment. These men who were stubbornly wise in their own eyes were spared simply because Sha’ul had an appointment in Roma and because they had been providentially placed on the same vessel as he, and had helped him to reach his goal. This is a reversal of the situation with the prophet Yonah, whose presence brought trouble to all who rode with him. This has its parallels in Yeshua’s statement that whoever shows hospitality to a prophet would receive the prophet’s reward (Mat. 10:41), that we are the salt of the earth (preserving it), YHWH’s willingness to spare S’dom because of Lot, and Paulus’ own teaching that Israel’s being scattered among the nations brought salvation to many who might never have heard of YHWH any other way. (Rom. 11:12, 15)
25. “Therefore, encourage yourselves, men! I am confident in Elohim that it will turn out just as it has been told me.
26. “However, we have to be cast [aground] on an island.”
27. And after fourteen days in which we were astray and wandering on the Adriatic Sea, halfway through the night, the sailors thought they were nearing [dry] land.
Adriatic: most properly the long offshoot of the Mediterranean between Italy and Maqedonia and the Baltic states, but this would have been more in the area between Sicilia and Greece near the very fuzzy bundary between the Adriatic and the Mediterranean.
28. So they took a sounding [with] a plumbline and found the depth twenty [fathoms]; when they had rowed a little [further], they found the depth fifteen.
29. And when we were afraid we might encounter places where there were rocks, they cast four anchors from the stern of the ship, and prayed that day would come.
30. The sailors wanted to flee the ship, and were lowering the lifeboat from it into the sea, with the pretext that they were going to row in it to tie off the ship to the land.
With the pretext…: Greek, pretending to be about to cast out anchors from the prow.
31. But when Paulus saw [them], he told the centurion and the soldiers, “If they don’t stay in the ship, you will not be able to survive.”
The ship’s hands were so crucial because only they had the skill to handle such violent conditions. But didn’t they already have a promise that no life would be lost? (v. 22) YHWH often makes promises, but then sends us leaders whom we must follow in order to remain in a position to receive the fulfillment. How important this is to remember in light of the promises that the two houses of Israel will be rejoined to one another. The promises will be moot if we do not follow the prophet like Moshe. (Deut. 18:15) Paulus himself told us that for a house built of different materials to adhere, certain rules have to be followed (Rom. 14:19), and this is exactly what the ruling in 15:14-21 of this book was about.
32. Then the soldiers severed the cables of the lifeboat from the ship and let it be swept away.
They removed the way in which only a few could bail out, so they would “all be in the same boat”, for better or for worse. Everyone who was supposed to be on the boat must be there if any are to be saved. Contrary to the Christian doctrine of individual salvation alone, Israel cannot reach its salvation—the return to the Land, just as in this anecdote—if any part of it is missing. If all of us are not saved, none of us are. No one is mere “extra weight”. Yehudah cannot receive its redemption without Efrayim, and vice versa. So burning every bridge of man-made security, they had to surrender to the “spirit” (wind).
33. And until the morning arose he, Paulus, was strongly urging everyone to eat food, by telling them, “Look! Today it is fourteen days that you have not tasted anything on account of the fear.
34. “For this reason I beg of you that you receive food to preserve your lives, because not a hair of the head of one of you will be lost.”
35. And after he had said these things, he took bread and praised Elohim [aloud] in the sight of them all, and broke it and began to eat.
Praised: He probably said the traditional blessing of YHWH, the one “who brings forth bread from the earth”. Again, Luke highlights a parallel with Yeshua in Paulus’ life. (Luke 24:30) Paulus was the first to break the fast, showing his confidence that their prayers had been answered, and thus giving the others courage to do the same:
36. So they all took comfort and received the nourishment.
He got everyone focused on the same goal—sharing from the “one bread” of community, as he himself had written in 1 Kor. 10:17—instead of their own individual plights. How could they work together to avoid the loss of each other’s life if they were all still stuck in their own weakness?
37. Now those of us in the ship were 276 souls.
276 is the numeric value of each of the Hebrew words u-b’khoser (“and in [a situation of] lack”) and er’eh (“I will feed”)! This was no Mayflower-class sailing vessel; ships from this period with hulls 70 feet tall have been discovered by archaeologists and are depicted in period drawings. It was not until the dark ages that this technology was lost until modern times.
38. And when they were satisfied from the food, they lightened some of what was on the ship by taking the wheat and throwing it into the sea.
They knew the ship would not last long until the next mealtime. Thankfully, Paulus had pushed them all to eat.
39. With the light of day, the sailors did not recognize which country it was, but they saw beside the dry land a bay of the sea into which they pondered whether it was possible to push the ship.
40. So they cut the anchors away
from the ship and released them
into the sea, and loosened the
ropes of the rudders and spread the small sail toward the wind that was blowing, and we turned towards the dry land.
One of these anchors was found not many years ago. Bob Cornuke determined that the only likely part of the island that would not have been recognized by mariners, who frequented Valletta Bay on the north, would have been the southeast side. The beach in verse 39 (an anomaly on this coast between the sheer cliffs that form most of the coast) was within swimming or floating distance from the reef (v. 44), a mile or so, according to Cornuke, and indeed there is a reef against which they could have heard the waves breakig at night without themselves running aground (vv.27-29). Cornuke writes that he indeed found “a bay just north of Marsaxlokk. Named St. Thomas Bay, it had all the earmarks of a prime suspect. Its approach from the sea would be from the east/southeast, the precise direction a Euroclydon would be blowing after two weeks of fury. Its approach was punctuated by a long finger of shallow reef over which waves break even in relatively calm weather. Our maritime charts showed a sloping approach that coincided exactly with the sailors' soundings as recorded by Luke. There, at the easternmost tip of Malta, currents and wind-driven swells come together in stormy weather in a way that can only be described as ‘waters colliding.’ And, finally, at its innermost reaches, where the sea meets the coastline of Malta, the cliffs so prominent everywhere along the eastern coastline give way to a gentle, sloping, inviting beachfront.” Three of the anchors had been found by locals within 40 yards of each other in 90 feet of water just there. Sadly, the man who discovered two of them sold them to feed his family, and they were melted down for secondary use since their provenance was not understood, and a third was lost, but a fourth was located. Anchors in that day were typically 8 to 12 feet long and made of wood and lead. (See photos.) This one was examined by Dr. Anthony Bonano, head of the Department of Classics and Archaeology at the University of Malta, who said it was “part of an anchor, called an anchor stock, which is lead and is an essential part of a typical Roman anchor. Its flourishing period would be around the first century A.D., though its use would have spanned from the first to second century A.D. back to the second or third century B.C. It would be considered universally Roman, and could have come from a ship from Rome or from Alexandria.” (Base Institute)
41. But the ship struck a high spot between two deep parts of the sea, and was scraping along it; her forward side got stuck on it and would not come loose, but the rear side was broken off due to the forcefulness of the waves.
Being a 30-year veteran surfer, David Stern notes that “when a swell reaches an island, its waves split to pass it, and they may meet head-on at the far end of the island. At this place, the sand carried along by the currents from both directions is deposited as a sandbar or sand spit, on which the waves break from nearly two opposite directions, sometimes even running straight into each other …[making conditions] very treacherous for ships.” This seems to have been the case here.
42. Then the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners lest they might swim off and bolt from them.
43. But the centurion restrained them from [doing] this, because he desired to rescue Paulus, and in regard to those who were able to swim, he ordered that the swim first and cross over to the dry land.
The captain recognized that it was only his association with Paulus that had saved all their lives (v. 24), and if only as a “good luck charm”, he did not want to lose him. So again, all the prisoners were spared on his account. Was it his confidence, his speaking with authority, or his refusal to panic that earned him such respect when to most on board he would seem just another prisoner?
44. And the rest he sent across on boards or on other planks of the ship, and thus they were all delivered to the dry land.
Paulus’ prophecies of verses 22 and 26 were therefore both fulfilled.
CHAPTER 28
1. After that it was confirmed to us that the island was called Malta.
Malta: about 50 miles south of Sicily. Though the winds had blown them nearly 600 miles westward from Qodah, the last land they had seen (27:15), they ended up only about 150 miles off course, because YHWH was in control even of the wind and waves.
2. And the barbarians who were staying on it showed great mercies toward us, lighting a fire and inviting us all near to warm ourselves, on account of the heavy rain and the cold.
Barbarians: not the natives of this island, who had Roman names. (v. 7) Most who were called by this eponym at this time were of Germanic stock. Since this was a place where ships wintered (v. 11), these were probably foreign seafarers staying on the island for the winter.
3. As Paulus picked up an abundance of branches and put [them] onto the fire, out from them came a poisonous snake on account of the heat of the fire, and attached itself to his hand.
It was clearly not a Sabbath day! (Ex. 35:3; Num. 15:33ff) Attached itself: in the sense of getting stuck on, as by spindling. This probably means it did not just bite him, but kept its fangs in his hand for some time—longer than necessary to deliver a typical dose of venom.
4. And when the barbarians saw it hanging on his hand, they said, “It is obvious to us that this man is a murderer, because though he was rescued from the sea, justice has not let him survive!”
Justice: Greek, Dike, a particular goddess of justice, not simply the general idea that one will eventually get what he deserves.
5. Only, he (Paulus) swung his arm and sent the viper off into the fire, and nothing bad befell him.
Viper: the same thing Yochanan the Immerser had called the P’rushim and Tzadoqim. (Luke 3:7; Mat. 3:7) A few verses later in both accounts he speaks of fruitless trees being thrown into the fire as this snake was. The venom of the P’rushim and Tzadoqim is exactly what Paulus has survived, as throughout this whole book they have been trying to kill him. Their poison has proven to not be as strong as Yeshua’s message. In the long run, it has no effect. We have our own “brood of vipers” in the “powers that be” today, but “those who trust in Yeshua’s name” are told that they will pick up serpents, drink deadly poison (also a metaphor for false doctrines) and be unscathed, and lay hands on the sick and they will recover (as seen in v. 8 below.) Paulus was also paralleled with Yochanan the Immerser in 26:20, where he preaches the same message—that one must do works befitting repentance. (Mat. 3:8) So Paulus did teach both faith and works after all.
6. But the barbarians thought that he would immediately swell up and fall to the ground dead, so when they waited a long time and saw that no harm befell him at all, they discussed it with one another and said it was because he was a deity.
Waited a long time: probably even making bets among themselves as to when he would succumb. Said he was a deity: However, they seem to have merely shrugged it off as inconsequential, rather than responding with worship as those in chapter 14 did. Part of the reason for this may be that the German barbarians are known to have considered their deities to only be slightly-stronger men. (If we can make a divinity a little more common, we can have more likelihood of winning an arguiment with it or controlling it.) Or they might only have been less religious than most, as sailors tend to be. But notice how ready the non-Hebraic mind was to attribute deity to a human being simply because a miracle was involved. They did not consider the possibility that it was simply that YHWH was protecting Paulus since he had a mission to accomplish. Someone on the island was apparently praying! A deity: Greek, theos, which is used of the true Creator, but also of anything that in any way resembles Him, which includes in many cases demonic spirits that people worship as “gods”. Today the English equivalent is used of the deity of any religion when translating from another language. With such a broad base of meaning, how could we possibly use such a word to describe YHWH? Where is His holiness (set-apartness) in that? “God” is a title that, were not also the proper name of a pagan deity, would still be a profane title for YHWH because it severely diminishes His uniqueness.
7. In that same area there were fields belonging to a certain man whose name was Puplios, who was the head of the island, and he received us gladly into his home for three days.
Puplios: the Aramaic version of the Latin Publius, “a popular one”. This was the standard length of time one was expected to provide hospitality for strangers in ancient times (and still today among the Bedouins—who say that the visitor is then “as welcome as a snake”!) Apparently this was somewhat of a universal practice, as this was well over a thousand miles from the middle east.
8. And Puplios’ father was ill, suffering from a fever and a bowel disease, so Paulus went in to him and prayed and put his hands on him, and healed him.
This is the same pattern in which Paulus himself was healed in 9:17. See also note on v. 5 above. A bowel disease: Greek, dysentery, an inflammation and ulceration of the lower part of the intestines caused by parasites (especially the amoeba) or chemicals, usually accompanied by fever (as here) and diarrhea. It is still common in places where the water cannot be drunk without boiling it.
9. And after this thing came about, all the rest of the sick people who were on the island came to him also, and were healed.
YHWH brings many people into an initial level of faith through such healings, and as yet another parallel between Paulus and Yeshua (for this is a continuation of the book of Luke), this was a way to bear witness of the coming Kingdom, when healing will abound. Undoubtedly Paulus used the occasion to teach about that Kingdom as well. But when we are more mature, sometimes He uses sickness again if it is what we need in order to get our attention on where and how we are not trusting Him as we should.
10. And they honored us very heavily, and when we departed from there, they gave us supplies.
11. We left after three months and sailed on an Alexandrian ship that had wintered on that same island, and it had on it the symbol of the Twins.
The symbol of the Twins: the Greek specifies the children of Dios, a variant of Zeus, that is, the mythological Castor and Pollux (as in the constellation “Gemini”), considered the divinities that protected mariners.
12. And we came to the city of Sürakousa and stayed there three days.
Sürakousa: called Siracusa today, on the coast of the southeastern fork of Sicily. Its harbor was excellent, and it was surrounded by a wall 14 miles (23 km.) long.
13. And from there we circled around and reached the city of Regium, and after a day the south wind blew for us, and after two days we arrived at the city of Puteoli, which is in Italia.
Regium means “breach”, that is, in the land, allowing ships passage. On the “toe” of the boot of Italy, at the southern entrance to the strait of Messina, at the closest point in Italy to Sicily. Puteoli is about 90 miles south of Roma. Its name means “sulfurous springs”.
14. And we found brothers there. And they begged of us, and we were with them seven days, and then we traveled to Roma.
Puteoli is known to have had a large Jewish presence. Note how they extended hospitality more than twice the expected time period (v. 7), to a complete cycle of seven days, meaning as well that they would have to spend one Sabbath with them, for fellowship has not been complete until we have shared this appointment with YHWH together. Apparently Paulus’ entourage went by foot from this point.
15. And when the brothers that were there heard, they came all the way out to the road called Appius Forum and as far as the Three Taverns to meet us. And when he saw them, Paulus he gave thanks to Elohim and took courage.
Appius Forum is 43 miles (70 km.) from Roma! Though the news about Yeshua had already arrived in Italy through some other witness(es), the believers there were very hungry for fellowship, indicating that they were relatively few. Paulus’ reputation as a teacher and shepherd in so much of the world also probably added to their eagerness to come so far to meet him. Three Taverns: 10 miles closer to Roma. “Tavern” in the Latin sense, as translated into Aramaic here, means more of an inn, resting place for travelers, or center of hospitality in general than a “barroom” alone as we think of it today. Took courage: literally, strengthened himself.
16. When they arrived in Roma, the centurion granted Paulus permission to stay where he wished, with a soldier who kept guard over him.
17. After three days, Paulus sent and summoned the heads of the Jews. And when they gathered themselves, he said to them, “Men, my brothers, although I arose against the people or Torah of my ancestors in nothing [I said], I have been delivered from Yerushalayim in chains into the hands of the Romans.
At this time there were some 10,000 Jews living in Roma, only a decade after the former emperor Claudius had expelled them all. (18:2)
18. “And they, after they investigated me, wanted to set me free since they found no guilt in me that was worthy of death.
19. “So when the Jews rose up in opposition to me, I was compelled to call for an appeal before the Caesar—not as if I had anything of which to accuse the sons of my people.
Call for: or, shout out. Appeal: or, objection.
20. “Therefore, I ask of you that you come and I will see you and I will recount these things to you, because on account of the hope of Israel I am fettered with this chain.”
21. They said to him, “We have not received a letter about you from Judea, nor has any of the brothers who have arrived from Yerushalayim told us anything bad about you.
His accusers apparently thought an appeal to Caesar was too dangerous a prospect, or the journey not worth taking, and their threat dissipated into thin air.
22. “But we want to hear from you what you are thinking, as indeed we know that this sect is not accepted to a man.”
Not accepted to a man: Greek, is spoken against everywhere. As prophesied in Luke 2:34, Yeshua was a watershed to all who heard of Him, causing either their downfall or their rising up, and was a “sign which would be spoken against”.
23. So they appointed a day for him, then many of them gathered themselves and came to him at the place where he was staying, and he revealed to them [things] concerning the Kingdom of Elohim, while bearing witness to them and proving to them about Yeshua from the Torah of Moshe and from the prophets from the morning until the evening.
24. And [some] men from among them believed his words, while others were not persuaded.
Since those who believed were among the heads of the Jews, they undoubtedly persuaded some of their students as well.
25. And they went out from his presence without agreeing with one another, and Paulus had said this word to them: “The spirit of holiness spoke appropriately through the mouth of Yeshayahu the prophet against our ancestors,
26. “saying, ‘Go to this people and tell them, “Listen, hearing, but you will not understand! And look, but you will not distinguish!”’
27. “Because ‘the heart of this people’ has become ‘fat, and their ears heavy, and their eyes’ smeared over, ‘lest they [should] see with their eyes or hear with their ears, and make a distinction with their hearts, and return to me, and I forgive them.’
After quoting Yeshayahu 6:9, he paraphrases verse 10 into the tense that indicates the prophecy has actually come to pass. Return to Me: The Hebrew original only says “repent”. And I forgive them: the Hebrew orinal says, “and someone should heal it.” The context is Yeshayahu’s vision of YHWH filling the Temple after King Uzziyahu’s death. It then goes on to say “the Master” (not necessarily YHWH, but possibly Yeshua instead) asks, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Paulus is alluding to the fact that he is at least one instance of this messenger who has a vision of Yeshua and says, “Here I am; send me!”, spending his whole life in repentance, for he, too, is a “man of unclean lips, in the midst of a people of unclean lips”, as “lip” in Hebrew can also mean “language” (note Gen. 11:1), and Paulus was speaking mostly Greek among people who did not speak Hebrew, the pure language of Ts’fanyah 3:9.
28. “Therefore let this be known to you, that the deliverance of Elohim has been sent to the nations, because they will indeed heed it!” [And after he had said these things, when the Jews left they were arguing very much among themselves.]
Nations: or gentiles. As usual, he has presented his message “to the Jew first”, but then he must go to the “lost sheep of the House of Israel”, the specific title for the Northern Kingdom, i.e., the rest of Israel. By this time the proto-rabbis had ruled that the other tribes had become so hopelessly mixed with the peoples (Hos. 7:8) that they were to be referred to as Gentiles, but when “THE Gentiles” were spoken of, as here, it clearly referred to Yehudah’s prodigal brother. They will indeed heed it: a wholehearted response very different from that of many of these Jews. YHWH had promised to always retain a remnant and one day bring the other triebs back, but not all of Yehudah is pleased with this prospect. But as in Yeshua’s parable, the return of the lost brother does not threaten the inheritance of the one who returns from profligacy, so Yehudah should rejoice. But starting with Qayin and Hevel, and culminating with Yaaqov and Esau and Yaaqov’s own sons and Yosef, there are many precedents of jealousy between brothers that is very hard to overcome. They did not necessarily want their long-lost brothers to return—as is the case again today. Also, recall that these Jews live in Roma, where they have many rights and protection—in short, a comfortable life. Yet they rightly understand the proclamation of the Kingdom to be a call for them to return to the Land as well to participate in it, so this message strongly shakes them from their routines as well. The bracketed phrase does not appear in the Aramaic version, but only in some of the Greek ones, in which it is verse 29, there being 31 verses in that version. It is somewhat redundant with verse 25, and therefore is not integral to the point of the passage.
29. And Paulus rented a house for himself with his own silver, and stayed in it for two years, and he made welcome there any who came to him.
With his own silver: an example of his own teaching in 1 Korinthians 9:11-19. It was common for rabbis of that day to support themselves. (Stern) The Mishnah warns, “Do not make of the Torah…a spade with which to dig.” Since no one else was his sponsor, no one could tell him, “We are paying your way, so do things the way we want them done.” He did not therefore feel the need to compromise his message. The last thing we hear about the one known for his many travels is that he has settled down, for he knows there is a time to go out and a time to come in. He no longer went looking for the lost sheep on street corners (which may be why no one hindered him, v. 30, since he was behind the scenes and less a threat). He lit his lamp and like moths drawn to the warmth, those who had heard the Shepherd’s voice and wanted to uproot themselves from their own comfort zones and follow would indeed flock to one they knew could teach them. Those who did not ask for food received nothing, and this better reflects the concept of holiness (being set apart). The sowing has been done; now only those who are serious about bearing fruit will be harvested.
30. And he made proclamation about the Kingdom of Elohim and openly taught about our Master Yeshua the Messiah without being hindered.
Though he was technically under house arrest (v. 16), it did not keep him from fulfilling his most important calling. By tradition Paulus died by 68 C.E., just two years prior to the destruction of the Temple in Yerushalayim. He alludes to his impending death in 2 Timotheos 4, implying an execution, so this suggests that he was arrested a second time after his audience with Caesar and a period of freedom. The text mentions nothing of either the trial or his death, implying that Luke no longer remained in his presence after that point and reminding us tat the book is not about Paulus, but about the spread of the Glad News of the Kingdom.
CHAPTER 29
A Greek manuscript long held in the archives at Constantinople and translated by C.S. Sonnini, found in his Travels in Turkey and Greece, presented to him by the Sultan Abdul Ahmet during the reign of Louis XVI of France (1774-1793), included this long-lost last chapter of Acts. Its veracity is vouched for by the 5th-century Muratorian Freagment, which states that “the acts of the apostles were written in one book…Luke compiled the individual events that took place in his presence—as he plainly shows by omitting the martyrdom of Peter, as well as the departure of Paul from the city [of Rome] when he journeyed to Spain.” This chapter ends with the “Amen” so common to the Renewed Covenant books, which was missing from the versions that included only 28 chapters. (Dr. Stephen Pidgeon) The value of this manuscript, if genuine, is that it so plainly identifies Paulus’ intended audience as descendants of the “lost tribes” of Israel, thereby clarifying and confirming the target groups Yeshua had in mind when He sent His students out into the world to proclaim His coming Kingdom. It details approximately six additional years of Paulus’ travels into Spain (a desire he had expressed in Romans 15:24) and “Barat-Anat” (Britannia), since he had heard in Phoenikia that some of the descendants of Israel had escaped there around the time the Assyrians took those remaining in the Northern Kingdom captive…
1. And Sha’ul, full of the blessings of Messiah, and abounding in the spirit, departed out of Rome, determining to go into Spain, for he had long proposed to journey there, and was minded also to go from there to Britain,
2. for he had heard in Phoenicia that certain of the children of Israel, about the time of the Assyrian captivity, had escaped by sea to "The Isles afar off" as spoken be the Prophet [Ezra], and called by the Romans “Britain”.
3. And Elohim commanded the gospel to be preached far hence to the Gentiles [nations], and to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. [Acts 9:15, 22:21]
4. And no man hindered Sha’ul; for he testified boldly of Yeshua before the tribunes and among the people; and he took with him some of the brothers who remained with him at Rome, and they boarded a ship at Ostrium and having the winds fair, were brought safely into a haven of Spain.
5. And many people were gathered together from the towns and villages, as well as the hill country; for they had heard of the conversion of the Apostle, and the many miracles which he had done.
6. Thus Sha’ul preached mightily in Spain, and great multitudes believed and were converted, for they perceived he was an apostle sent from YHWH.
7. And they departed out of Spain, and Sha’ul and his company finding a ship in Armorica sailing to Britain, they got into it, and passing along the south coast, they reached a port called Raphinus.
Raphinus turns out to be the Roman name for Sandwich in Kent, where there long stood an ancient house known as the “House of the Apostles”, and local tradition said that Sha’ul (Paulus) was one of these.
8. Now when it was voiced abroad that the Apostle had landed on their coast, great multitudes of the inhabitants met him, and they treated Sha’ul courteously and he entered in at the east gate of their city, and lodged in the house of an Hebrew and one of his own nation.
9. And on the morrow he came and stood upon Mount Lud and the people thronged at the gate, and assembled in the Broadway, and he proclaimed Messiah to them, and they believed the Word and the testimony of Yeshua.
Mount Lud: Ludgate Hill and Broadway where "St. Paul's Cathedral" stands in London, England—a mere coincidence?
10. And at evening the Holy Spirit fell upon Sha’ul, and he prophesied, saying, “Behold, in the last days the Elohim of Peace shall dwell in the cities, and the inhabitants thereof shall be numbered: and in the seventh numbering of the people, their eyes shall be opened, and the esteem of their inheritance shine forth before them. The nations shall come up to worship on the mount that testifies of the patience and long suffering of a servant of YHWH.
Seventh numbering: an allusion to the punishment multiplied seven times over, as per Lev. 26:28, since there was no repentance at the end of the years Y’hezq’el 4:4-5 had prophesied the Northern Kingdom’s sentence would end. The first-ever census in England was taken in 1801. The seventh census was taken in 1861, just as the irrefutable archeological evidence for the Lost Tribes was making its way into history, and their eyes were opened. (Moshe Koniuchowski)
11. “And in the latter days new tidings of the Gospel shall issue forth out of Yerushalayim, and the hearts of the people will rejoice, and indeed, fountains will be opened, and there will be no more plague.
12. “In those days there shall be wars and rumors of war; and a king will rise up, and his sword shall be for the healing of the nations, and his peacemaking shall remain, and the esteem of his kingdom a wonder among princes.”
13. And it turned out that some of the Druids came unto Shaul privately, and showed by their rites and ceremonies they were descended from the Jews who escaped from bondage in the land of Egypt, and the apostle believed these things, and he gave them the kiss of peace.
The descendants of Peretz remained in Egypt and came out with the rest of Israel in the Exodus, but the descendants of Zerakh migrated as seen here and documented elsewhere. (Pidgeon)
14. And Sha’ul stayed in his lodgings three months, confirming in the faith and constantly proclaiming Messiah.
15. Then, after these things, Shaul and his brethren departed from Raphinus and sailed unto Atium in Gaul.
16. And Shaul preached in the Roman garrison and among the people, exhorting all men to repent and confess their sins.
17. And there came to him certain of the Belgae to enquire of him of the new teaching, and of the man Yeshua; And Sh’aul opened his heart unto them and told them all things that had befallen him, and how it was that Messiah Yeshua came into the world to save sinners; and they departed, pondering among themselves on the things that they had heard.
18. And after much proclamation and hard work, Sha’ul and his fellow laborers passed into Helvetia, and came to Mount Pontius Pilate, where he who condemned the Master Yeshua had dashed himself down headlong, and so miserably perished.
Helvetia: Switzerland!
19. Immediately a torrent gushed out of the mountain and washed his body, broken in pieces, into a lake.
20. And Sha’ul stretched forth his hands upon the water, and prayed unto Elohim, saying, “O Elohim YHWH, give a sign unto all nations that here Pontius Pilatus which condemned Your only-begotten son, plunged down headlong into the pit.”
21. And while Sha’ul was yet speaking, sure enough, there came a great earthquake, and the face of the waters was changed, and the form of the lake [became] like that of the Son of Man hanging in an agony on the tree.
'Son of Man' is the common term given in Messianic Prophecy for the Deliverer to come. One commentator asks, if Sonnini forged this document, would he not hjave used 'Son of God', like most later Christians?
22. Then a voice came out of heaven saying, “Even Pilatus has escaped the wrath to come, for he washed his hands before the multitude at the blood-shedding of the Master Yeshua.”
23. When, therefore, Sha’ul and those that were with him saw the earthquake, and heard the voice of the angel, they glorified YHWH, they were mightily strengthened in the spirit.
24. And they journeyed and came to Mount Julius where stood two pillars, one on the right hand and one on the left hand, erected by Caesar Augustus.
25. And Sha’ul, filled with the set-apart spirit, stood up between the two pillars, saying, Men and brothers, these stones which you see this day shall testify of my journey hence; and I tell you the truth, they will remain until the outpouring of the spirit upon all nations, nor shall the Way be hindered throughout all generations.
26. And they went forth and came unto Illtricum, intending to go by Makedonia into Asiya, and grace was found in all the assemblies, and they prospered and had peace.
Amen!
THE ACTIVITIES OF THE
Delegated Envoys
INTRODUCTION: This is a sequel to the Gospel of Luke, written by the same author. Reading the history of the course Yeshua’s first followers took immediately after he left should help us recover his agenda as they saw it. Both Greek and Aramaic texts, as well as a back-translation from Aramaic into modern Hebrew, were considered in the process of this translation, with the latter two being given the heavier weight where they differed.
Reconstruction of a Roman anchor
